An Analysis of Romanian Translations of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit (PDF)

Scientific Study from the year 2020 in the subject Literature - Comparative Literature, grade: 10, , language: English, abstract: This paper deals with Romanian translations of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". Tolkien has acquired a certain status of fame in Romania, but apparently, to the large public, "The Hobbit" is probably more famous than his creator and this is particularly due to Peter Jackson's film adaptation. However, there are already four retranslations of the novel, which is of no little significance, as this suggests an interest in the book itself. Our analysis relies on the four translations performed so far of Tolkien's "Hobbit". It was impossible to find the 2010 version signed by Dan Slüanschi that was issued by Paideia Publishing House. However, through the generosity of professor Slüanschi's son, we managed to have access to the text of the translation.

The aim of this study is double fold. On the one hand, given that the translations were performed in different periods and the time span between them is considerable, we set to identify to which extent they bear the signs of their epoch. The moments of translation production were governed by distinct translation norms which were influenced by the prevalent ideological background, the status of the literary genre to which the novel pertains, the category of target readership envisaged and even the translators' own agenda, idea on authorship and view of the translation process itself. In close connection with the concept of translation norms, the other objective of the investigation is to detect the overall orientation of the Romanian versions, i.e. whether they tend towards domestication or foreignization.

The research advances in concentric circles, from the more general towards particular elements of the analysis. A significant part is dedicated to the survey of children's literature, particularly since fantasy is most often included in this subdivision of literature; in addition, three of the four Romanian translations explicitly address children of various ages. Further still, we have also proceeded to a contextualisation of the translations, which includes background information on the translators, but also a general outlook on the status of translations in general and of fantasy in particular in the Romanian literary polysystem at the distinct moments of translation production.